CM Shivakumar flags falling share of Kannada speakers in Bengaluru at Rajyotsava awards
Citing the 2011 Census, the chief minister said Kannada is the mother tongue of 44.5% of Bengaluru's residents, a city where speakers of 107 languages were recorded.
Chief Minister D K Shivakumar has voiced concern over the shrinking share of Kannada speakers in Bengaluru, saying the change calls for introspection. He was speaking at the Rajyotsava award ceremony on Sunday evening.
Quoting the 2011 Census, he said speakers of 107 languages were recorded in the city and Kannada was the mother tongue of only 44.5% of its people, compared with nearly 90% in the past. A survey in 2011 estimated that Bengaluru had 44 to 47 lakh migrants, most of whom had settled in the city, he said, according to a statement from his office.
"Loving Kannada does not mean hating other languages; it means respecting all languages," Shivakumar said, adding that Kannada should be used naturally in offices, businesses and public life and should grow as a language of AI, science and start-ups.
He again called for official recognition of the Kannada flag and noted that Karnataka, with 5.5% of India's population, contributes 9.19% of the national economy. Among this year's awardees he singled out senior advocate B V Acharya, fashion designer Prasad Bidapa and Chennappa Gowda for his work with Hopcoms.
Source: Deccan Herald. Photo: Gpkp / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
